Journal article
Revisiting attribute framing: The impact of number roundedness on framing
Organizational behavior and human decision processes, Vol.161, pp.109-119
11/01/2020
DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.04.006
Abstract
•Use of non-round numbers reduces consumers’ evaluations.•Non-round numbers in a message frame increase attention to numerical values.•Decreased positivity in attitudes is more pronounced in negatively expressed frames.•The work finds process evidence for the original valence-shift based account.
We compare the impact of round and non-round numbers used in a communication message on consumers’ evaluations and judgments towards the associated target entity. We find that the use of non-round numbers, in contrast to round numbers, in a message frame results in increased attention to numerical values, which further leads to a comparison of the associated measures with ideal reference points. This leads to an increased framing effect in the non-round numbers condition compared to the round numbers condition. Interestingly, this also negatively affects consumers’ overall evaluations of the target entity. We demonstrate that such a decreased positivity in attitudes when using non-round numbers is more pronounced in negatively expressed frames. We explain this using an ‘attention shift-comparison’ process. Additionally, using multiple methodologies, we provide elaborated support for the attention-association based reasoning for framing effects in general and thus add to the literature on processes underlying framing effects. This extends the original valence-shift based account originally proposed by Levin and Gaeth (1988) and provides an avenue for future research on attention-association based framing effects.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Revisiting attribute framing: The impact of number roundedness on framing
- Creators
- Gaurav Jain - Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteGary J. Gaeth - University of IowaDhananjay Nayakankuppam - University of IowaIrwin P. Levin - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Organizational behavior and human decision processes, Vol.161, pp.109-119
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.04.006
- ISSN
- 0749-5978
- eISSN
- 1095-9920
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 11/01/2020
- Academic Unit
- Marketing; Psychological and Brain Sciences
- Record Identifier
- 9984380516002771
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